Railroad spike



' March 1.7, 1 925. 1,529,989

0. M. DEVINISH RAILROAD SPIKE Original Filed 'Feb. 28, 1921 INVENTOR' I: 7 4/1 50 l'llkwhrlbfl l TTORNEYS Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES v OLIVER M. DEVINISH,

OF W'ICHIJTA, KANSAS.

RAILROAD srrxn.

Application filed February 28, 1921, Serial No. 448,623. Renewed December 8, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER M. DEVINISH,

a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Wichita, in the county of Scdgwick and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad bpikes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad spikes or similar fastening devices, the object thereof being to provide a novel spike structure for fastening purposes and particularly for holding rails in position on the ties.

It is a further object of the invention to provide improved securing means for retaining the spike imbedded in the tie when driven home, so that the spikes will not loosen and cannot be pulled out by the jar ring action of a passing train, thereby preventing spreading and overturning of the rails and consequent derailment of the train.

The invention therefore embodies a novel form of spike having means adapted to enter the ties of wood at an angle of degrees with the grain of the wood and he turned thru an angle of 60 degrees thru the instrumentality of means in the form of threads near the head of the spike and of suflicient pitch to cause the spike to turn when being driven so that withdrawal of the spike accidentally will be prevented.

Other and further objects of my invention will become readily apparent to persons skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the spike constituting the subject matter of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure2.

Figure 4 is a similarsview taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is'a view similar to Figure 2 turned as in operation.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2, and

Figure 7 is an elevation of the spike constituting the subject matter of the invention when being driven into a wood tie for use as a rail fastening means in accordance with the preferred use of the invention, the spike being'shown as applied to the rail both with and without the use of the tie plate.

Referring to the drawing in detail in which like referencecharacters designate corresponding parts thruout the several views, the improved spike comprises a shank 5 preferably of cylindrical form and provided with an enlarged head 6, also of cylindrical form or circular, the same being formed as a circumscribing flange or shoulder on the shank of the spike and preferably having a horizontally; disposed flat under face 7 and a rounding upper face and edge portion 8, said flat under face 7 serving to insure proper engagement with the base flange of a rail, convenient withdrawal, positive retention of the rail in position and draining of the head in order to eliminate to a great extent corrosion and rusting. Above the head. 6 is a projection 9 which is square and designed to be engaged by a wrench of suitable form.

" The lower end of the shank is formed as a wedge so as to cut the grain of the wood for the width displaced by the spike and thereby prevent splitting the tie of wood, and near the bottom or wedge end of the spike but spaced above the same are two diametrically opposite teeth 11, shaped in the manner shown in the drawings and having faces 12 disposed in alignment diamet rieally of the shank and lying in a plane intersecting the plane of the cutting edge of the spike at a determined angle which is such as to permit of the teeth clearing the base flange of a rail and still remaining generally across the grain of a tie into which the spike is driven when the spike is turned through an arc of 60 during the driving operation, in a manner which will be hereinafter set forth. The teeth 11 have convex ly curved faces 13 extending in the same circmnferential direction so that the teeth are tapered, the taper being in plan as well as in side elevation, due to the inclined outer edges 14, so that when the spike is being driven the teeth may turn in thewood as easily as possible and when turned will pre sent the utmost resistance to being withdrawn accidentally by turning back.

In order to. effect the turning of the spike and particularly of the shank and thus the teeth just described when driving the spike,

the shank is provided near the head thereof with one or more and preferably two proheld by the teeth and the threads.

jections 15 in the manner of threads extending at such an inclination or pitch of sufficient degree to cause the spike to turn while being driven into the wood thru an angle of 60 degrees or the sixth-part of a complete turn. These threads are preferably tapered at their ends and are tapered in the longitiv' dinal direction of the spike and form abrupt shoulders extending around the circumference of the spike shank for a distance of 60 degrees or one-sixth of the circumference of the spike shank so as to readily enter the wood when the spike is driven. These threads terminate in a square shoulder at one end in a vertical plane extending diametrically through the shank, intersecting at right angles a plane extending vertically through the cutting edge of the shank and also intersecting at an angle of approximately 30 the vertical plane in which the faces 12 of the teeth 11 lie.

In using the spike it is started into the wood with the wedge point across the grain of the wood and the body of the spike against the base flange of the rails. The two teeth above described clear the base flange of the rail by reason of the angle which they bear to the wedge and the spike is driven with a maul or hammer. the two projections in the nature of threads strike the wood they will turn the spike while being driven thru the sixth part of a turn or 60 degrees, thereby causing the teeth to be turned across the grain of the wood-and causing the spike to be firmly The slanting form of the thread will cause the body of the spike and the flange base of the rail to spring apart slightly while the spike is being driven and to spring back together when the spike is fully driven so that the upper edge of one of the threads will lie under the base of the rail when the head of the spike engages the upper edge of the base flange of the rail. The spike is then struck a blow with a maul or hammer at a point on the head opposite to the base flange of the rail which will cause the under face of the head of the spike and the top shoulder of the thread to firmly engage the base flange of the rail. The slanting faces of the teeth above described will to a certain extent push the wood away rather than out it and the wood will spring to a certain extent behind the teeth, which will then present a square face so as to prevent withdrawal to a great extent.

As above stated, the projection above the head of the spike is square or other poly onal outline and is intended to be engaged by a wrench of suitable character. \Vhen the spike has been driven it will be prevented from becoming accidentally displaced or coming loose; but may be turned back a sixth of a turn by engagement of a wrench or other suitable tool therewith, in order that the spike may be readily Withdrawn from the tie as by the use of an ordinary spike pulling bar. The head of the spike must be circular in form, similar to the head of the present screw spike, because it cannot be determined accurately in advance what point of the head will touch the base of the rail when being driven. At least, by the form of head employed as described positive engagement thereof with the rail base is insured and thus displacement of the rails prevented. In this way, spreading of the rails and consequent derailment of trains is prevented. It will be noted that by reason of the fact that the base of the rail rests to, a certain extent upon' the top of the thread above described, the rail is prevented to a certain extent from cutting the ties and thereby the full strength of the tie is preserved and the loosening of the rail with reference to the tie caused by such cutting of the tie is prevented. It should also be noted that all ofv the features of the spike fall into their proper positions while driving when the wedge point of the spike is started across the grain of the wood and parallel with the flange base of the rail, which insures correct laber.

It will be noted that by reason of the manner in which this spike engages the base of the rail and ties that in the event of strain upon the rail on the tie, the resistance of the spike against shearing by the base of the rail is augmented and increased by the fact that during such shearing operation the spike on the opposite end of the rail must be pulled, such pulling encountering the resistance furnished by the positive "the tie.

It will also bev noted that in the event of displacement of the entire railroad track upon the embankment, caused by washouts or other causes, these spikes will tend 'to hold the trackin proper alignment by reason of the'fact that the spikes engage the base of the rail not only at the top of the base flange; but also at the bottom of the base flange.

It will be noted that these spikes may be used with tie plates in which event allowance should. be made between the head of the spike and the top shoulder of the thread for the thickness of the tie plate. It is recommended that tie plates used with these spikes be punched with suitable slots positioning of the spike by unskilled to accommodate the threads and teeth above described, in which event the form of the punched hole in the tie plate will assist in turning the spike thru one-sixth of a turn thereby causing positive engagement and locking of the spike to the tie, the tie plate to the tie, and the rail to the tie plate. The forming of the tie plate in the manner above described will obviate the necessity of otherwise fastening the tie plate to the tie and the usual corrugations on the bottom of the tie plate will be firmly engaged with the ties and thereby prevent displacement of the tie plate.

It will be also noted that this spike is adapted to being driven in old ties in lieu of the present square spike and that this spike is of such form as to secure positive engagement and fastening of the rail even when driven in the hole left in the tie by the withdrawal of the old square spike.

It should also be noted that by reason of the fact that the base of the rail rests on top of the thread the operation of trains over the track tends to drive the spike tighter at all times rather than loosen it.

In view of the foregoing, it is thought that the use of the device will be readily understood as well as its operation and in view of the simplicity and practical value those skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 2-- l. A fastening of the class described com prising a shank having horizontally aligned radially projecting teeth near the lower end thereof, spiral projections near the upper end, a circular head above said projections and an extension above the head and of polygonal cross section.

2. A fastening of the class described comprising a shank having radially projecting teeth near the lower end thereof, a spiral projection near the upper end, a circular head above said projection and an exten sion above the head and of polygonal cross section, said projection extending one-sixth of the distance around the circumference of the shank, terminating at its lower end in a line, and each of said teeth having a face lying in a vertical plane intersecting a vertical plane extending diametrically through the shank at one end of the line defining the lower end of said spiral projection.

3. A rail spike comprising a circular shank having a diametrically disposed'cutting edge at its lower end, radially projecting teeth spaced from the lower end of the shank, each tooth having one face extending radially and the other face thereof convcxly curved and merged into the periphery of the spike, a plurality of spiral threads each extending one sixth around the circumference of the shank, a head above said that it will readily commend itself to threads and enlarging on all sides with respect to the shank and a wrench engaging portion above the head.

4. A spike comprising a shank having a cutting edge at one end and a head at its other end, a tooth projecting outwardly from the shank adjacent to the lower end of the latter, said tooth having one face thereof lying in a plane extending radially of the shank and having its other face inclined, and a spiral thread like projection on the shank between the head and the tooth. I

5. A spike comprising a shank substantially circular in cross sectional contour and having a head at one end and a diametrically disposed cutting edge at its other end, a plurality of outwardly projecting teeth formed on the shank adjacent to the end of the latter provided with the cutting edge each of said teeth having one face thereof extending radially of the shank and having the other face thereof convexly curved, and means extending from the shank between said teeth and the head of the shank for causing said shank to rotate when the spike is driven into a tie or the like.

6. A spike comprising a shank substantially circular in cross sectional contour and having a head at one end and a diametrically disposed cutting edge at its other end,

a plurality of outwardly projecting teeth formed on the shank adjacent to the end of the latter having the cutting edge, each of said teeth having one face thereof extending radially of the shank and having the other face thereof convexly curved and merged into the periphery of the shank, the width of said curved face of each tooth being greater at its outer end than at its juncture with the periphery of the shank, and thread like projections on the shank between the head thereof and the threads, each of.

' said thread like projections being tapered toward the end thereof proximate to the teeth and extending part of the distance around the circumference of the shank.

7. A spike having a shank provided with a spiral thread-like projection on its periphery extending part of the distance therearound and terminating at its upper end short of and at a definite distance from the upper end of the shank.

8. A spike comprising a shank.having a cutting edge at one end and having an outwardly extending projection located adjacent to the end which is provided with the cutting edge, said projectlon having one vertical face thereof lying in, a plane extending radially of the shank and the other vertical face thereof convexly curved and merged at its inner end into the periphery of the shank.

OLIVER M. DEVINISH. 

